a. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and assembly for closing out or finishing off the edges of silica fibrous insulations such as are used on the exterior surfaces of aerospace vehicles.
b. Description of the Prior Art
Currently existing silica fibrous insulations of the type referred to above include those known as Advanced Flexible Reusable Surface Insulation (AFRSI) described, inter alia, in Ceramic Eng. Sci. Proc. 6:793 (1985), as well as Tailorable Advanced Blanket Insulation (TABI) and Composite Flexible Blanket Insulation (CFBI), described, inter alia, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,959 to Kourtides et al and U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,693 to Kourtides et al, which also describe AFRSI. Reference is made to these patents for more complete description of such insulations. These insulations are presently closed out on the edges by wrapping the outer mold line (OML) fabric around the edges of the blanket and onto the inner mold line (IML) fabric and then either sewing the outer fabric to the inner fabric or bonding two together using a flexible adhesive such as RTV. This prior art process is described in detail in the report "Fabrication of Insulation Blankets," NASA Contract NAS-13122 Final Report, May 12, 1992, and reference is made to that report for a more complete description of the process.